05/31/2010
by Sherrie Wells Memorial Day and memories of this day we will have. After 72 days since his transplant, Brady is back in the hospital (Robert Wood Johnson Bristol Myers Squibb’s Children Hospital) fighting a low grade temperature. It started out as a “normal” day, we were puttering around the house doing some landscaping things and Brady was (as always) at my side helping me do everything. He went in the house to have his diaper changed and Sherrie thought he felt warm and sure enough 101.4˚. She immediately contacted CHOP and they in turn instructed us to take Brady to emergency room. After 5+ hours in the ER (a wonderful place with practically no air conditioning) we finally were taken to the 2nd floor hematology / oncology – our old stomping grounds. Of course once we were at the hospital, Brady’s temperature went down to 100.4˚ but he was given an IV and 3 different types of antibiotics. This was combined with a complete blood count and blood cultures, so Brady is there for the night and most likely tomorrow as well. While it was quite nice to see some the nurses and techs, it’s certainly not the place we want to be. So, as day 72 wraps up, we’re back battling this horrible disease. There is really nothing to worry about as far as Brady goes, he’ll be just fine. However, on my way out of the hospital, I ran into Ray the father of Christian a 15 year old boy who’s been battling cancer as long as Brady. Ray told me Christian is back in the hospital with an inoperable brain tumor. Pediatric cancer is beyond cruel, please add Christian to your thoughts, prayers and hugs. Until next time…“8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer” is a series of posts revisiting the journal kept by Sherrie and Michael Wells during the cancer diagnosis and treatment of their son, Brady Michael. Hopefully these entires will provide an understanding of the journey families face when dealing with these horrific diseases and of the important work the Hugs for Brady Foundation does.